This invention relates generally to additive manufacturing, and more particularly to apparatus and for recoater alignment and support.
Additive manufacturing is a process in which material is built up layer-by-layer to form a component. Additive manufacturing is limited primarily by the position resolution of the machine and not limited by requirements for providing draft angles, avoiding overhangs, etc. as required by casting. Additive manufacturing is also referred to by terms such as “layered manufacturing,” “reverse machining,” “direct metal laser melting” (DMLM), and “3-D printing”. Such terms are treated as synonyms for purposes of the present invention.
Several existing types of additive manufacturing machines utilize a scraper-like device referred to as a “recoater” which is used to spread and level a starting material prior to the material being selectively solidified.
One problem with prior art recoaters is that they can deviate from the intended straight, level configuration. For example, the weight of the recoater cantilevered from a supporting rail can cause the recoater rail to twist. Furthermore, the recoater rail can bend in either a convex up shape (“arch”) or a convex down shape (“droop”).